Colombian Group Research Articles

Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the family adaptability and cohesion scale (FACES III) through item response theory models in students from Chile and Colombia

BackgroundA psychometric study of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale (FACES III) has been conducted in Spanish-speaking countries from the perspective of the classical test theory. However, this approach has limitations that affect the psychometric understanding of this scale.ObjectiveAccordingly, this study used the item response theory to investigate the psychometric performance of the items. Furthermore, it evaluated the differential performance of the items for Colombia and Chile.MethodFor this purpose, 518 health science students from both countries participated. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used.ResultsThe study results revealed that the cohesion and adaptability items presented adequate discrimination and difficulty indices. In addition, items 5, 8, 13, 17, and 19 of cohesion indicated differential functioning between students from both countries, with Chilean students exhibiting a greater discriminatory power. Further, the Colombian group exhibited a greater discriminatory power for item 18 of adaptability.ConclusionsThe study concluded that the items of FACES III indicated adequate psychometric performance in terms of their discriminative capacity and difficulty in Chile and Colombia.

30 Analyzing Spanish Speakers Cordoba Naming Test Performance

Objective:A 30-item confrontation naming test was developed in Argentina for Spanish speakers, The Cordoba Naming Test (CNT). The Boston Naming Test is an established confrontation naming task in the United States. Researchers have used the Boston Naming Test to identify individuals with different clinical pathologies (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease). The current literature on how Spanish speakers across various countries perform on confrontational naming tasks is limited. To our knowledge, one study investigated CNT performance across three Spanish-speaking countries (i.e., Argentina, Mexico, and Guatemala). Investigators found that the Guatemalan group underperformed on the CNT compared to the Argentine and Mexican groups. The purpose of this study was to extend the current literature and investigate CNT performance across five Spanish-speaking countries (i.e., Argentina, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, United States). We predicted that the Argentine group would outperform the other Spanish-speaking countries.Participants and Methods:The present study sample consisted of 502 neurologically and psychologically healthy participants with a mean age of 29.06 (SD = 13.41) with 14.75 years of education completed (SD = 3.01). Participants were divided into five different groups based on their country of birth and current country residency (i.e., United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Argentina, & Colombia). All participants consented to voluntary participation and completed the CNT and a comprehensive background questionnaire in Spanish. The CNT consisted of 30 black and white line drawings, ranging from easy to hard in difficulty. An ANCOVA, controlling for gender, education, and age, was used to evaluate CNT performance between the five Spanish-speaking country groups. Meanwhile, a Bonferroni post-hoc test was utilized to evaluate the significant differences between Spanish-speaking groups. We used a threshold of p < .05 for statistical significance.Results:Results revealed significant group differences between the five Spanish speaking groups on the CNT, p = .000, np2 = .48. Bonferroni post-hoc test revealed that the United States group significantly underperformed on the CNT compared to all the Spanish-speaking groups. Next, we found the Guatemalan group underperformed on the CNT compared to the Argentinian, Mexican, and Colombian groups. Additionally, we found the Argentinian group outperformed the Mexican, Guatemalan, and United States groups on the CNT. No significant differences were found between the Argentinian group and Colombian group or the Mexican group and Colombian group on the CNT.Conclusions:As predicted, the Argentinian group outperformed all the Spanish-speaking groups on the CNT except the Colombian group. Additionally, we found that the United States group underperformed on the CNT compared to all the Spanish-speaking groups. A possible explanation is that Spanish is not the official language in the United States compared to the rest of the Spanish-speaking groups. Meanwhile, a possible reason why the Argentinian and Colombian groups demonstrated better CNT performances might have been that it was less culturally sensitive than the United States, Mexican, and Guatemalan groups. Further analysis is needed with bigger sample sizes across other Spanish-speaking countries (e.g., Costa Rica, Chile) to evaluate what variables, if any, are influencing CNT performance.

A Colombian's Group Experience Using Contralateral C7 Nerve Transfer for Brachial Plexus Trauma

A Colombian's Group Experience Using Contralateral C7 Nerve Transfer for Brachial Plexus Trauma

Pleistocene-dated genomic divergence of avocado trees supports cryptic diversity in the Colombian germplasm

Genomic characterization of ex situ plant collections optimizes the utilization of genetic resources by identifying redundancies among accessions, capturing cryptic variation, establishing reference collections, and ultimately assisting pre-breeding and breeding efforts. Yet, the integration of evolutionary genomic analyses is often lacking when studying the biodiversity of crop gene pools. Such is the case in the avocado, Persea americana Mill., an iconic American fruit tree crop that has seen an unprecedented expansion worldwide because of its nutritional properties. However, given a very restricted number of commercial clones, avocado plantations are becoming more vulnerable to diseases and climate change. Therefore, exploring new sources of evolutionary novelty and genetic diversity beyond the commercial varieties derived from traditional genetic pools in Mexico and Central America is imperative. To fill this gap, we aimed to characterize the genomic diversity of Colombian avocado trees. Specifically, we constructed reduced representation genomic libraries to genotype by sequencing 144 accessions from the Colombian National genebank and 240 materials from local commercial orchards in the Colombian northwest Andes. We merged the resulting reads with available sequences of reference genotypes from known avocado groups (also named as races), Mexican, Guatemalan, and West Indian, to discover 4931 SNPs. We then analyzed the population structure and phylogenetic diversity, and reconstructed evolutionary scenarios, possibly leading to new genetic groups in Colombian germplasm. We detected demographic stratification despite evidence of intergroup gene flow. Besides the classical three avocado groups, we found an exclusive Colombian group with a possible genetic substructure related to the geographical origin (Andean and Caribbean). Phylogenetic and ABC demographic modeling suggested that the Colombian group evolved in the Pleistocene before human agriculture started, and its closest relative from the three recognized races would be the West Indian group. We conclude that northwest South America offers a cryptic source of allelic novelty capable of boosting avocado pre-breeding strategies to select rootstock candidates well adapted to specific eco-geographical regions in Colombia and abroad.

Cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities in people living with HIV: A cross-sectional multicenter study from Colombia comorbidities in a Colombian PLWHIV population.

HIV is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). There is insufficient information regarding comorbidities and cardiovascular risk factors in the Colombian HIV population. The aim of this study is to describe the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities in patients from the HIV Colombian Group VIHCOL. This is a multicenter, cross-sectional study conducted in the VIHCOL network in Colombia. Patients 18 years or older who had at least 6 months of follow-up were included. A stratified random sampling was performed to estimate the adjusted prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities. A total of 1616 patients were included. 83.2% were men, and the median age was 34years. The adjusted prevalence for dyslipidemia, active tobacco use, hypothyroidism, and arterial hypertension was 51.2% (99% CI: 48.0%-54.4%), 7.6% (99% CI: 5.9%-9.3%), 7.4% (99% CI: 5.7%-9.1%), and 6.3% (99% CI: 4.8%-7.9%), respectively. In this Colombian HIV cohort, there is a high prevalence of modifiable CVD risk factors such as dyslipidemia and active smoking. Non-pharmacological and pharmacological measures for the prevention and management of these risk factors should be reinforced.

RAZVOJ NARKO-TERORIZMA KROZ PRIZMU MORFOGENETSKE TEORIJE – STUDIJA SLUČAJA FARK-A

The subject of this paper is the development of narco-terrorism before and after the Cold War. It is noticed that many terrorist groups have intensified their activities in organized crime, and especially in drug trafficking after the 1990s, one of which was the Colombian insurgent group FARC. In the paper, we will try to prove the hypothesis that criminal activities of terrorist groups rise as their ideological basis become weaker and that it is a rational choice which terrorist groups make to survive. We will try to offer the answer by analyzing the development of FARC, and by using a morphogenetic approach. This theory is based on critical realism and therefore it acknowledges the equal importance to the structure and actors and it allows us to track their interaction through time. That is why we think that it is most suitable for the analysis of complex and dynamic occurrences like narco-terrorism. At the beginning of the paper, we present a literature review with different conceptions of narco-terrorism, after which we highlight the main presumptions and advantages of morphogenetic theory. At the end of the paper, the author will offer her analysis of the development of FARC through a morphogenetic approach and will review the main factors that caused its intensified involvement in drug trafficking from the 1990s, like the decline of ideology in the group and the international arena, but also the fight for survival in the hostile environment of class war in Colombia.

The violence of norms: resisting repertoires of gender violence in post-conflict Colombia

ABSTRACT Feminist scholarship on gender violence in Latin America has elucidated its ubiquity and deep entrenchment within many societies, from the colonial encounter until the present day. As such, it remains important to enquire into the relationship between sociocultural norms and gender violence: how norms enable and legitimate gender violence, and how these norms can be reconfigured to resist gender violence. This article draws on Judith Butler’s work on normative violence to explore how norms enabled, legitimated and obscured the distinct repertoires of gender violence in Colombian civilian society and left-wing rebel group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Butler’s theorization on how norms can be challenged, both through different gender performances and the revision of criteria of gender intelligibility, is then extended to understanding the emergence of resistance to gender violence in The Common Alternative Revolutionary Force, the political party which the FARC transitioned into in 2017.

Diplomats Under Siege: The M-19 and the Dominican Embassy Takeover of 1980

More senior diplomats were taken hostage in the Dominican Embassy siege of 1980 than at any previous terrorist event. Sixteen members of the Colombian guerrilla group, the M-19, captured fifteen ambassadors, including the American ambassador, along with diplomats from across Latin America and held out for two months before flying to safety in Cuba with millions of dollars in ransom. Using approaches from Area Studies and Diplomatic History, this article deploys newly declassified material from the UK and US, oral history testimonies and interviews with former M-19 members in Colombia to explore how events in Bogotá marked a new trend towards highly visible and performative security ‘spectaculars’. It argues that in the short term, the Bogotá siege was successful for the M-19 because it delivered unprecedented national and international profile whilst demonstrating their affective acuity in rallying supporters to their cause. But in the long term, states were determined to avoid a repetition of this episode and other embassy attacks. Enhanced diplomatic security has become the norm while for some states it has paved the way for the now-familiar ‘fortress’ embassy. Importantly, the Bogotá case raises wider questions of how states, along with diplomatic captives, respond to hostage-taking. It highlights how the study of diplomacy can benefit from recent trends in performativity and emotions, offering a more global and interdisciplinary understanding of modern diplomatic practices and security.

1670. Access to Antibiotics Without Prescription for Travelers and Colombian Citizens at Community Pharmacies in Bogotá, Colombia: A Cross-Sectional Study

BackgroundAntimicrobial-resistant pathogens often emerge in communities where antibiotics are frequently sold without prescriptions. In Colombia, nonprescription sale of antibiotics still occurs despite national regulations. Use of antimicrobials in international travelers has been linked to the rapid dissemination of multidrug-resistant pathogens around the globe. Despite the exponential increase of international visitors to Colombia recently, there is a notable lack of studies investigating the accessibility of antibiotics to foreign travelers without prescriptions in Colombian pharmacies.MethodsThis cross-sectional study compares the access to antibiotics without prescription in community pharmacies between travelers from the United States and local Colombian citizens in Bogotá. Both groups visited 91 pharmacies and conducted trials as covert simulated clients (SCs). The SCs followed a standardized script when interacting with pharmacy personnel, acting as though they were seeking antibiotics for moderate Traveler’s Diarrhea (TD), without a prescription. Data were gathered on the employees’ responses, including the level of “prompting” needed for an employee to offer antibiotics, reasons given to the SCs for refusing to sell antibiotics if no sale was offered, and generic brand of compounds offered.ResultsAntibiotics were offered to the US travelers in 62 (68.13%) pharmacies, and to the Colombian group in 57 (62.64%) pharmacies. The traveler group was significantly more likely than the comparator group to be offered antibiotics without any prompting (P = 0.003). When pharmacy employees refused to sell antibiotics during trials, the traveler group was significantly more likely to be given a clinical reason not to receive antibiotics. Refusal to Colombian citizens was more frequently due legal reasons (P < 0.001).ConclusionAntibiotics were accessible without prescriptions at similarly high frequencies, regardless of the customers’ nationality. The US travelers were more likely than the Colombian group to be offered antibiotics without needing to prompt the pharmacist. Additionally, pharmacists were much more likely to deny antibiotics to the Colombian group due to legal reasons, as opposed to clinical reasons for US travelers. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Performance and agreement between classification criteria and rheumatologist's diagnosis of the most widely used SpA classification criteria in a Colombian group of patients with chronic low back pain

Abstract Objective To evaluate the performance of the most widely used SpA classification criteria in a Colombian group of patients with chronic low back pain. Methods We assessed the ASAS and the European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group (ESSG) classification criteria in a group of 133 patients who attended consecutively over a period of six months at outpatient clinic of low back pain. All the patients were evaluated with the same protocol. The patients were divided into two groups according to the diagnosis. The diagnosis was compared with the diagnosis made by a expert rheumatologist blinded to patient information. Results 81 patients with SpA and 52 with other diagnoses were included. There were no differences in age and age of onset of symptoms between the two groups. The SpA group included 55 males and more common clinical findings were: enthesitis, arthritis, sacroiliitis, HLA-B27-positive, previous infection, and dactylitis. The sensitivity and specificity of criteria were: ASAS criteria 96% of sensibility and 80% of specificity, and ESSG criteria 95% and 100% respectively. The agreement between the classification criteria and the diagnosis established by the rheumatologist showed a Cohen's kappa index of 0.938 for ESSG criteria (95% CI: 0.877–0.998) and 0.790 for the ASAS criteria (95% CI: 0.682–0.898). Conclusion In a Colombian group of SpA patients, the new ASAS classification criteria have a good concordance with clinical diagnosis but are not superior to the ESSG criteria.

Performance and agreement between classification criteria and rheumatologist's diagnosis of the most widely used SpA classification criteria in a Colombian group of patients with chronic low back pain

ObjectiveTo evaluate the performance of the most widely used SpA classification criteria in a Colombian group of patients with chronic low back pain. MethodsWe assessed the ASAS and the European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group (ESSG) classification criteria in a group of 133 patients who attended consecutively over a period of six months at outpatient clinic of low back pain. All the patients were evaluated with the same protocol. The patients were divided into two groups according to the diagnosis. The diagnosis was compared with the diagnosis made by a expert rheumatologist blinded to patient information. Results81 patients with SpA and 52 with other diagnoses were included. There were no differences in age and age of onset of symptoms between the two groups. The SpA group included 55 males and more common clinical findings were: enthesitis, arthritis, sacroiliitis, HLA-B27-positive, previous infection, and dactylitis. The sensitivity and specificity of criteria were: ASAS criteria 96% of sensibility and 80% of specificity, and ESSG criteria 95% and 100% respectively.The agreement between the classification criteria and the diagnosis established by the rheumatologist showed a Cohen's kappa index of 0.938 for ESSG criteria (95% CI: 0.877–0.998) and 0.790 for the ASAS criteria (95% CI: 0.682–0.898). ConclusionIn a Colombian group of SpA patients, the new ASAS classification criteria have a good concordance with clinical diagnosis but are not superior to the ESSG criteria.

Vocal nodules in a colombian teachers group with dysphonia

espanolIntroduccion: Este estudio determina la prevalencia de nodulos Vocales asociados a disfonia en docentes con edades entre 35 y 65 anos, considerando variables del individuo y ocupacionales. Metodo: Estudio de corte descriptivo que incluyo la informacion contenida en 262 Historias Clinicas de docentes diagnosticados con disfonia en la consulta de medicina laboral en una IPS de la ciudad de Bogota entre marzo de 2009 a marzo de 2012. La presencia de nodulos laringeos se establecio a partir del hallazgo de nasofibrolaringoscopia. Resultados: Se evidencio presencia de nodulos en 67 docentes que corresponde a una prevalencia del 25,5 %, observandose mayores proporciones entre: mujeres, individuos con edades entre 45 y 54 anos (p=0.018), individuos con nivel de desempeno preescolar y docentes de educacion fisica. En el grupo de docentes con nodulos, el 76,1% tenian menos de cinco consultas medicas y el 75% tenia mas de 90 dias de incapacidad. Conclusion: Un alto porcentaje de docentes con disfonia presentan nodulos vocales lo cual puede estar relacionado con diferentes variables como sexo, edad, tipo de nodulo, area y nivel de desempeno. La presencia de nodulos genera un alto numero de incapacidades y un ausentismo laboral importante. EnglishObjectives: This study determined the prevalence of vocal nodules associated with dysphonia in teachers aged from 35 to 65 years, taking into consideration both individual and occupational variables. Methodology: Descriptive study that included the information contained in 262 medical records of teachers diagnosed with dysphonia in occupational health consultations at the institutions that provide health services in Bogota, Colombia from March 2009 to March 2012. The presence of laryngeal nodules was based on the findings of a nasofibrolaryngoscopy procedure. Results: Nodules were found in 67 teachers, which corresponded to a rate of 25.5%, being apparently (highest observed rates) associated primarily with the following variables: females, ages from 45 to 54 years, bilateral nodules, and teaching position (preschool and physical education). Of the teachers with nodules, 76.1% had fewer than five doctor’s appointments, and 75% had more than 90 days of sick leave. Conclusion: A high percentage of teachers have vocal nodules associated with dysphonia. This may be apparently related to different variables such as sex, type of nodule, area and teaching position. Was observed only a statistically significant association among presence of nodules and age (p=0.018). In addition this disorder generates a large number of incapacities and employee absenteeism.

AUTOBIOGRAFIAS E A POSSIBILIDADE DE UMA CENA ENGAJADA: AS EXPERIÊNCIAS DE PROYECTO PROMETEU E TESTIGO DE LAS RUÍNAS DO GRUPO MAPA TEATRO

O presente trabalho se propõe a refletir sobre a exploração de dinâmicas artísticas que se estabelecem nas fronteiras entre ficção e realidade, a partir da experiência teatral Proyecto Prometeu e Testigo de Las Ruínas, coordenada pelo grupo colombiano Mapa Teatro. Pretendemos estabelecer, assim, ponderações acerca dos pressupostos estéticos e éticos inscritos nessas propostas teatrais, que tiveram como mote de criação levantar discussões referentes à desapropriação que vinham sofrendo moradores do, hoje extinto, bairro Santa Inês a partir das impressões, lembranças e relatos pessoais desses antigos moradores. O presente trabalho concentra sua análise especificamente nos modos e objetivos do uso de autobiografias dos antigos moradores na construção das ações cênicas desses espetáculos.

REGIONAL RURAL DIFFERENCES IN THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE (MC), ACCORDING TO AGROCHEMICAL (AC) USE, IN A COUNTRY OF LATIN AMERICA.

Background and Aims: To describe for first time, the characteristic of menstrual cycle (MC) in a Colombian group of rural fertile women and evaluate if there are differences according rural geograp...

La bioprospección como un mecanismo de cooperación internacional para fortalecimiento de capacidades en ciencia y tecnología en Colombia

La bioprospección, definida como la exploración de la biodiversidad para fines comerciales, se ha convertido recientemente en una potencial estrategia mediante la cual los países ricos en biodiversidad pueden aumentar sus capacidades endógenas para realizar actividades de CyT, especialmente mediante la interacción con otros países de mayor desarrollo tecnológico. Es así, como este trabajo se concentra en analizar la mecánica de cooperación internacional de un país considerado megadiverso, Colombia, a través del análisis de coautoría de 342 artículos publicados en revistas indexadas en las redes ISI y SCOPUS, información que se complementa mediante entrevistas con 12 líderes de grupos colombianos. Los resultados evidencian que España es el país con mayor colaboración con Colombia; que la cooperación con países de América se sitúa en un tercer plano y ésta se intensifica cuando hay de por medio un país europeo; la escasa cooperación entre grupos colombianos origina una agenda de investigación dispersa y en temas muy variados sin orientación y prioridades estratégicas.

Prosecuting extortion victims

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of USA Executive Order 13224, one of the most important US counter‐terrorist finance measures, on corporations operating in countries with designated terrorist organizations.Design/methodology/approachThe effects of Executive Order 13224 are focused on the case of Chiquita Brands International, a major US banana‐exporting corporation that operated in Uraba, Colombia until 2004. The US Government prosecuted Chiquita for “engaging in transactions” with an illicit, Colombian paramilitary group considered by the US a Foreign Terrorist Organization and as a specially‐designated global terrorist. This paper presents the duress defense that Chiquita could have raised at trial under US federal law.FindingsExecutive Order 13224 was drafted hastily and under pressure leading to over‐inclusive language and over‐broad implementation. Chiquita's case suggests that Executive Order 13224, drafted with the intention of reducing terrorist funding, has made it possible for an extortion victim to be prosecuted for payments it has not chosen to make. This paper will suggest narrowly tailoring the language of Executive Order 13224 or providing an exculpatory provision.Research limitations/implicationsCounter‐terrorist finance measure Executive Order 13224 has not been sufficiently examined by scholars. Research on this topic should go hand in hand with enquiry into possible defenses for corporations operating in countries with designated terrorist organizations and having to make extortion payments.Practical implicationsSuggestions are put forward for corporations operating in countries with designated terrorist organizations as well as for drafters of counter‐finance terrorist measures.Originality/valueAlthough the designation of terrorist organizations under the executive order has been discussed, few scholars have addressed cases of over‐broad application of the executive order. The unexamined case of Chiquita is a unique case in that the extortion victim, and not the extortion perpetrator, is prosecuted. Also, Chiquita was prosecuted for an activity (making extortion payments to the Autodefensas Unidas Campesinas that became a crime after Chiquita began its engagement with such an activity. Furthermore, examining this case thoroughly is important because it has repercussions on at least two public policy levels: the US' War on terrorism and the rights and remedies of corporations investing in countries with designated terrorist organizations.

Association of MSX1 with Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip and Palate in a Colombian Population

To evaluate the association between MSX1 CA polymorphism and nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL+/-P) in a group of patients from Operation Smile Colombia. Four alleles from MSX1 CA microsatellite sequence were analyzed. Polymerase chain reaction was carried out. The amplifications were performed by Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) in ABI PRISM 310 genetic analyzer. Chi-square and odds ratio tests were used to determine the association between genotype frequencies and the risk to the cleft lip/palate in a Colombian group population. Operation Smile Colombia. Ninety-four affected patients (49 men and 45 women with CL+/-P) and 93 control individuals (43 men and 50 women). A significant statistical difference (p<.0106) was found between the patients who carried allele 3 and CL+/-P. In addition, allele 4 (heterozygous and homozygous form) was the most frequent in CL+/-P (74%) patients and in the control group (82%). These findings show a positive association between the MSX1 CA polymorphism and CL+/-P in a Colombian group population.

What – if anything – is a strain?

Two worldwide variants of the Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite protein (CSP), VK210 and VK247, induce distinct antibody responses and can co-infect individual humans and Anopheles. The prevalence of VK210 and VK247 can change on a seasonal or a year-to-year basis. Different sympatric species of Anopheles might be more susceptible to each variant. VK210 could be associated with higher parasitaemia and chloroquine resistance. This is a relatively obscure line of research, but it could provide crucial insights into a question that has long beset parasitologists: what is a strain? Or, as Shute asked, albeit rhetorically in 1958, ‘is not the word strain in regard to malaria used much too loosely?’The latest reports from Mexico 1xPlasmodium vivax: ookinete destruction and oocyst development arrest are responsible for Anopheles albimanus resistance to circumsporozoite phenotype VK247 parasites. Gonzalez-Ceron, L. et al. Exp. Parasitol. 2001; 98: 152–161Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (20)See all References1 and Colombia 2xVariants of the Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite protein (VK210 and VK247) in Columbian isolates. Gonzalez, J.M. et al. Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz. 2001; 96: 709–712Crossref | PubMedSee all References2 present their results from experiments on local VK210 and VK247 parasites in Anopheles albimanus, which contrast in an intriguing manner. In the first instance, A. albimanus is susceptible to VK210 and near refractory to VK247 parasites (opposite to Anopheles pseudopunctipennis). VK247 survivorship can be tracked to the ookinete and early oocyst stages. In the second instance, VK210 and VK247 develop successfully in A. albimanus derived from Guatemala, but only VK247 parasites survive in A. albimanus from the Pacific Coast of Colombia (also applies to a recent report from Brazil). The VK247 produces more sporozoites than VK210. The Mexican group proposes that factors innate to the vector population mediate the local prevalence of VK210 and VK247. The Colombian group suggests that frequency-dependence in transmission-blocking antibodies or relative immunogenicity mediates prevalence. Both groups reveal a remarkable, perhaps exemplary, parasite–host–vector system.The VK210 and VK247 dichotomy includes phenotypes (entities distinguished by their apparent properties or interactions with their environment, rather than their genetic constitutions per se) at least for antibody response, which presumably comprise a collection of genotypes. These current papers suggest that there could be geographic elements to variation in the suite of other supposed traits, but probably not congruent with the recently proposed split of P. vivax into Old and New World subspecies (based on sequence data in addition to relative infectivity to A. albimanus). Thus, P. vivax now seems to be the surprise frontrunner for addressing the recurring question: is a strain a heuristic concept without a tangible biological basis, or a discrete biological entity that can be distinguished by a modern technique? Are VK210 and VK247 strains?

Reproductive health risk behavior survey of Colombian high school students

Purpose: To establish rates of potentially risky sexual behaviors among Colombian adolescent students. Methods: A total of 230 9th and 11th graders at a Colombian high school (69% of enrolled students) were anonymously surveyed about selected reproductive health behaviors using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s self-administered Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Results: The response rate was >90%. The group was demographically representative of students. Twenty-nine percent of the group had engaged in intercourse (13% of 9th and 43% of 11th graders). Male gender [β = 0.7873; odds ratio (OR) = 2.09; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.57–3.08] and increasing age (β = 0.3413; OR = 1.41; 95% CI = 1.02–1.93) were each significantly correlated with prior sexual activity. Compared with females, males initiated intercourse at a significantly earlier age (β = 0.284; p < .001) but did not report significantly more partners (means 2.1 vs. 1.4; χ 2 = 1.25; p = .262). Forty-eight percent of respondents used contraception during their last encounter. Sixty-three percent used oral contraceptives or condoms, while the remainder used less effective methods. Contraceptive use did not correlate with gender or age. Age was significantly and positively correlated with use of alcohol prior to sexual activity (B = 1.28; OR = 3.6; 95% CI = 1.49–8.44). Conclusions: Compared with U.S. populations of similar ages, the Colombian group surveyed had fewer sexually active members, reported fewer partners, and used contraception with lower frequency.

The Natural History of aortic and coronary atherosclerosis in colombia evaluated by necropsy examination

Summary A total of 626 aortas and 379 coronary artery sets were collected from consecutive autopsies of persons aged 1-79 years in a large charity hospital and the medico-legal office in Cali, Colombia. Atherosclerotic lesions were estimated visually in terms of the percentage of the intimal surface of each arterial segment involved by the various types of atherosclerotic lesions. Fatty streaks develop in the aorta of Colombian males and females to a greater extent than the New Orleans white males and females, and in lesser degree than in New Orleans Negro males and females. In spite of this initial change the formation of fibrous plaques is observed in lesser extent in the Colombian population than in the New Orleans group, but at slightly larger proportion than the Guatemalans and the Bantu. The differences with the New Orleans cases are more striking when the more severe atherosclerotic lesions are considered (fibrous plaques, complicated and calcified lesions). When the "severity index" of the abdominal aorta in the Colombian group is compared with the New Orleans cases, a clear stratification of the groups is observed with New Orleans white males and females showing the highest values and the Colombian cases exhibiting the least severe involvement. Atherosclerotic lesions in the coronary arteries are also present in the Colombian cases but the extent and severity of such lesions is lesser in degree than for the aortas when the same age groups and sex are considered. Coronary artery lesions were compared between Colombian and New Orleans white and negro males and again the same pattern as with the aortic atherosclerotic lesions was observed. Aortic and coronary artery atherosclerotic lesions were less severe in Colombian females than in males at any age group studied. These results show also that the cause of death should be taken into consideration for the purpose of geographic comparisons of pathological observations of necropsy material for the purpose of the study of atherosclerotic lesions. Cases dying of "atherosclerotic heart disease" or because of other diseases considered to aggravate atherosclerosis should be excluded for this comparison. The product-moment correlation coefficient was calculated for aortic with coronary atherosclerotic lesions in 427 cases, where both the aorta and coronary arteries were studied. A weak but positive correlation was found between most of the lesion measures compared. The highest values were for aortic total surface with coronary total surface ( r 0.52), aortic and coronary fibrous plaques ( r 0.51) and aortic severity index with coronary total surface (r 0.59) and with coronary fibrous plaques ( r 0.54). These data on aortic and coronary atherosclerosis are inconsistent with the extremely low rate of arteriosclerotic heart disease attributed to Colombia on the basis of vital statistics data, and suggest that this rate, at least for Cali, should be higher than presently reported, but lower than for the North American whites.